The Ecology of Freedom: The Emergence and Dissolution of Hierarchy

This is an amazing book that everyone should read.

I loved this history of the rise of hierarchy and control from tribes to present

Every person should read this book.

Kind of propagandistic. Did not attack the question i was looking for, namely, how to overcome our primal hierarquical ancestry in order to buid horizontaly leaded communities.

Combining radical political theory with anthropology and nature studies, "The Ecology of Freedom" is a profound exploration of the social causes behind our ecological crisis. Importantly, Bookchin argues for social activism rather than New Age mysticism as the answer to environmental problems. According to Bookchin and other social ecologists like Cindy Milstein and Brian Tokar, the domination of the planet is a mere reflection of the domination of humans caused by social systems like gerontocracy, patriarchy, capitalism, and the state. His solution: the building of a directly democratic, anti-authoritarian, participatory, egalitarian, green society. While critics of Bookchin's work may dislike the fact that he oftentimes prioritizes things like permaculture and appropriate technology over wilderness and wildlife, I nevertheless believe that his writings have enormous social value and I am deeply grateful for his ideas and legacy. Though I no doubt understand the urgency of preserving forest ecosystems and protecting endangered species, I also really empathize with Bookchin's ecotopian vision of sustainable cities. In truth, I feel that the urban ecology/forest ecology binary is a false one that should be challenged. While defending the Amazon rainforest is obviously important, fighting environmental racism is also imperative. Though I cherish the spotted owl, I also cherish working-class communities of color and equally value their struggles to access organic food, clean air, and safe drinking water. As such, I fully agree with the social ecologist libertarian municipalist position that social justice issues are environmental issues and vice versa. Murray Bookchin, who last year passed away, will be sorely missed by the many progressive activists whose lives have been enriched by his brilliant books. That said, I hope that AK Press continues to publish more of his important work.

While on a trip to the ER, I handed this book to a friend to hold onto. She looked through it and said it sounded like a book for old men. She couldn't have been more wrong.If you only read one Bookchin work, make it this one. It is a complex theory (though written in a very understandable way) about how freedom and hierarchy evolved into what they are and aren't today. It is an ecological (different than environmental) look at the natural world and what we call civilization. Controversial? Perhaps, but why? That is the most important question.The Church, capitalism, war, farming, protest, the environment -- it is all covered here, and it is done in a way that will have you debating it with yourself and others for quite some time. Like Noam Chomsky's books, this will change the way you look at the world.

For those griping about the Kindle version, might be a novel idea to read an actual book. Old school eh? It’s not that hard.As far as the book is concerned... it’s iconic Bookchin. An essential read.

Amazon screwed this up. This may have been the worst ocr job I have ever encountered. I wanted to review the book, but this is impossible. Every page has at least one line of indecipherable gibberish, with words frequently mis-scanned. Pictures of text also randomly appear. Page numbers randomly appear in the middle of the text, breaking up what little legible text exists.From what little I was able to read, it appears to be a broader rewriting of the Communist Manifesto. If I get my hands on a legible copy, I will edit this to include a proper review.

Ive always been surprised that people have such opinions on anarchy yet know absolutely nothing about it. Bookchin sets out his view of this subject, a panoramic view that is a mind expanding possibility of a people run society for all and the planet, its flora and fauna. A utopia? Not at all, and people across the world are living by Bookchin's ideas and they are working. I have always thought you know when you understand anarchy, its the moment you become one. This is one man's view of what we can possibly be at a junction in human history. Never before has the world faced the crises we are now presented with, we know we have to change the paradigm, and this could well be our path to survival.

Inspirational read. If you are, in the least, interested in the future of humanity and the planet, you need to read Bookchin.

A must read for anyone interested in the true meaning or anarchy

Um livro importante e bem escrito. dada a crescente crise social e ecológica que está ocorrendo em todo o mundo, há uma forte necessidade de compreender a base para elas em um nível fundamental. O autor Murray Bookchin fornece esta contribuição bem informada e perspicaz para aqueles que buscam respostas. Juntamente com seus muitos outros livros, não é de surpreender que "Google Murray Bookchin" tenha se tornado uma chamada comum para aqueles que desejam informar os outros.

1/4 of the way down, I'm very satisfied and excited with the ideas that Bookchin conveys in this book. Might be hard to read as he uses a lot of "academic" vocabulary.